Gibbs made a quick detour into his room to use the phone. When he went back into the kitchen, Abby was leaning at the counter. "You don't have any Caff-Pow," she said conversationally. She looked different; she'd washed her face and the remaining make up had come off. It made her look even younger than she usually did.

"I've got tea," Gibbs said. He opened a cupboard and took down a box of tea bags. "Mint or English Breakfast; Ducky likes it," he said.

Abby smiled. "Thanks," she said. She put a cup of water in the microwave to heat up. Gibbs kissed her cheek and poured himself a cup of coffee. He waited for Abby to point out his hypocrisy, but she didn't say a word. He took a sip and waited for the microwave to beep in comfortable silence.

She dropped a tea bag in the hot water. "Sugar?" she said.

"Gotta have some in there somewhere," he said, gesturing at the pantry.

"Brown sugar tastes the same as regular sugar, doesn't it?" Abby asked, surveying the pantry's contents. "I mean, it's the same thing, basically, just not bleached and whatever. Well, and normal sugar doesn't clump, but—"

"It's sweet, Abs. What else do you want from it?"

She nodded. "Good point, Gibbs." She grabbed a small chunk; it had hardened into lumps. She dropped it into the mug with a soft 'plunk'.

"Wanna watch a movie?" he asked her. "I told DiNozzo you'd probably picked one out already."

Abby looked wary. "Well...I mean, my butt already hurts....I don't know if I want to sit on it."

Gibbs rolled his eyes. "The couch is soft, Abby. You'll be fine."

She made a face. "Well, can I bring my tea in there?"

"It's called a living room. Meant to be lived in," Gibbs said as consent. She nodded.

"All right," she said. Gibbs put his hand on the small of her back and gently guided her out of the kitchen and down the hall into the living room. "Wanna pick the movie?"

Abby cocked her head, considering it. "Nah," she said. "Tony can pick. He's the one who loves movies."

Gibbs felt his lips turn up. She was worried about Tony; he could tell. "He's fine, Abs," he said quietly, sitting on the couch. After a moment, she curled up on his left side.

"You're sure?" she asked just as quietly. Gibbs just nodded.

"He's not as tough as he likes to pretend to be," Abby said, as though she was telling Gibbs something he didn't already know. He just put his arm over Abby's shoulder with a nod. She sagged into his side.

They sat together in the semi-darkness, waiting for Tony. Soft footsteps in the hallway warned Gibbs of his approach.

"C'mon, Tony. We're waiting for you to pick a movie," he said lightly.

"Um...I thought I was going to just..." Tony sounded hesitant. He was considering bolting; Gibbs knew it. He also knew he didn't Tony to run off and lick his wounds, because he'd blow this whole thing up into something much bigger than it should be and end up too embarrassed to look Gibbs in the eye come Monday.

"Come on, Tony," Abby pleaded. "Stay. You love movies."

Gibbs could feel Tony weakening. He'd never been able to say no to Abby. "Well..." he said.

Gibbs had anticipated this so he threw in the clincher. "I ordered pizza," he said, twisting to see Tony standing in the doorway.

Tony's mouth opened a little; it was a near-Pavlovian response. "Sausage, pepperoni, extra cheese?" he asked. Gibbs nodded, hiding a smile. "But Boss, I thought we were in trouble."

"You were," Gibbs said. "I thought that was clear. Do I need to go back over that?" He hid the smirk as Tony stood up very straight, shaking his head.

"Uh, no. No. Perfectly clear," Tony said. "But, um...why did you buy us pizza?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Everyone's gotta eat," he said.

"Well, yeah..." Tony said, stepping into the living room. "Movie?"

"You know where they are," Gibbs said. Tony crossed the living room and opened the video cabinet; Gibbs had crafted it when Kelly was born and Shannon had been worried that she'd pull their old dollar-store cabinet down on herself. So he'd made the new one out of sturdy oak; it could stand up through a tornado. Or a two year old. Hell, it even stood up to Tony.

He held up a movie. "Goldfinger!" he said. Gibbs nodded. He liked the old James Bond movies best too.

"That movie is awfully old," Abby said.

Gibbs thought about giving her a look, but Tony took care of it. "It's not old, Abby. It's a classic. There's a difference. This is James Bond at his finest."

Abby just shrugged, unimpressed.

With a sigh, Tony popped the movie in Gibbs' VCR. "You really ought to get a DVD player, Boss," he said.

"No need. Wouldn't be able to figure out how to use it anyway." Gibbs jerked his head sideways, indicating the couch. "Don't want to have to call McGee every time I want to see a movie. Sit down," he said. Tony looked more than a little uncertain about that.

"It's soft, DiNozzo. Sit."

Tony sat, looking as though Gibbs had asked him to sit on nails. But he settled after a moment. The opening credits came up. He heard Tony let out a little sigh and lean back into the couch.

The doorbell rang. "Got it," Gibbs said, standing. He went and paid the kid who delivered the pizza and soda, including a decent tip, and shut the door. When he came back, they both were raptly watching the screen.

Gibbs handed the Caff-Pow to Abby, and dropped the pizza on the coffee table in front of the couch. DiNozzo grabbed a slice. "You got her Caff-Pow?" he said in an undertone to his boss. "She's going to be bouncing off the walls."

"Decaf-Pow" Gibbs whispered back. "She doesn't know the difference." He saw DiNozzo smirk. "Don't you tell her, either."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Tony replied.

"What are you guys whispering about?" Abby asked. "Give me a slice, would you?"

And so Gibbs passed a slice of pizza to Abby and sat, an arm around Abby, his shoulder touching DiNozzo's, and took a breath. They'd be okay. He wasn't about to lose them, and everything would be alright. And he had a feeling they wouldn't pull something so unthinkingly stupid again.

"Thanks, Boss," Tony said in the dark, only loud enough for Gibbs to hear it.

And Gibbs wasn't sure if Tony was thanking him for the pizza or for something far more complicated, but he decided it didn't matter. He set the pizza on his lap and ruffled DiNozzo's hair lightly.

"Did you just rub pizza grease in my hair?" Tony asked, and he sounded half serious. Gibbs rolled his eyes and took another bite of pizza.

"I wish I'd thought of it. Watch the movie."

"Yes, Boss."

And all was quiet on the home front again.